Category: Technology

Monday, September 17, 2018

Several Google employees have resigned in protest against the company’s plans to develop a search engine adapted to China’s desire for censorship.

It reports more foreign media.

According to Buzzfeed, seven employees have resigned because of the company’s lack of openness about the project called “Dragonfly”.

Google pulled its search engine from the Chinese market eight years ago because of censorship and hacking. According to the Tech Times, the new search engine should ignore topics that the Chinese government believes has “sensitive content”, such as democracy, speech freedom and human rights.

A loss of values

One of the employees who have terminated is Jack Poulson who has worked for Google since May 2016.

“I see our intention to provide for censorship and monitoring requirements in exchange for access to the Chinese market, as a loss of our values ​​and our state-of-the-art negotiating position worldwide, he wrote in his resignation made by The Intercept.

Ask for openness

In addition to terminations, 1,400 employees have signed a letter delivered to Google’s management. The letter states that the development of a search engine specifically adapted to China’s desire for censorship and control, raises moral and ethical questions about the work they are doing, writes the New York Times.

Google has not commented on the redundancies or the new project, which was made known to the public by a whistleblower.

Thursday 30 August 2018

Facebook will roll out the world wide video service, the company announced Wednesday.

The service has been available in the United States for over a year and the plan was all the way that it should eventually be rolled out globally.

The watch library will consist of a mix of entertainment and serious content, according to Facebook.

“We designed this product not only for thoughtless consumption, but also to make people get involved,” says Fidji Simo, Facebook’s video director.

The power service is being launched at a time when consumers move away from traditional linear TV, and also use streaming services like Netflix and HBO or video services like YouTube.

In the last year, Facebook has been working to expand its video library with its own TV productions and announced this week that they will also introduce new formats like interactive competition programs, quizzes and polls.

The announcement that the service is rolled out globally comes two weeks after Facebook secured the rights to send Spanish Elite Series in India and European Championship matches in Latin America.

However, most of the content will be user-generated, and the service is more compared to YouTube than Netflix.

– Content funded by us is a very small percentage of the content available at Watch, says Simo.

Wednesday 29 August 2018

From The Verge

Windows 95 is the operating system that’s now used as a yardstick for what’s possible on modern devices and platforms. We’ve seen Microsoft’s popular OS appear on the Apple Watch, an Android Wear smartwatch, and even the Xbox One. Today, someone has gone a step further and made Windows 95 into an app that you can run on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Slack developer Felix Rieseberg is responsible for this glorious app, based on an existing web project that supports Windows 95, Windows 98, and a whole host of older operating systems. Now nostalgia lovers can play around with Windows 95 in an electron app. Rieseberg has published the source code and app installers for this project on Github, and apps like Wordpad, phone dialer, MS Paint, and Minesweeper all run like you’d expect. Sadly, Internet Explorer isn’t fully functional as it simply refuses to load pages.

The app its only 129MB in size and you can download it over at Github for both macOS and Windows. Once it’s running it surprisingly only takes up around 200MB of RAM, even when running all of the old Windows 95 system utilities, apps, and games. If you run into any issues with the app you can always reset the Windows 95 instance inside the app and start over again. Enjoy this quirky trip down memory lane.

Wednesday 22 August 2018

Both Facebook and Twitter removed about 300 accounts related to coordinated manipulation – most from Iran.

Facebook states that they have removed a total of 652 pages, groups and accounts from Iran that stood behind coordinated manipulation. It says Yahoo! Web Security Manager, Facebook, Nathaniel Gleicher in a blog update.

According to Reuters, Twitter has removed about 300 fake accounts – most of these linked to Iran. Twitter says the accounts are involved in what they call coordinated manipulation. The accounts must have promoted Iranian propaganda, including anti-Saudi, anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian themes.

Washington Post writes that the misleading information was aimed at the audience in many countries – the Middle East, Latin America, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Washington Post writes that the campaign dates back to 2011 and has ties to state Iranian media, according to Facebook. WP also writes that hundreds of accounts, including Facebook’s sister media Instagram, will apply.

Facebook should also have deleted some fake accounts from Russia, which has nothing to do with the Iranian accounts.

Facebook has promised to curb this type of abuse of the social platform. Last month, the company announced that they had uncovered and removed 32 such fake pages and accounts.

The news comes the same day US President Donald Trump said it’s “very dangerous” for social media companies like Twitter and Facebook to trick users.

In a series of Twitter reports, Trump claimed on Saturday that “social media discriminates against Republican and conservative voices”. He claims, among other things, that social media closes accounts to people on the right side “while they do not do anything about others”.

Monday, 13 August 2018

During the autumn, the National Security Authority (NSM) will establish a national cyber security center in Norway.

The news that was first mentioned by Finansavisen releases NSM during Arendalsuka, which begins Monday.

“It has been a process that has been going on for a while. Over time, we have seen that technological development has created a need for powerful collective expertise such as alerting, handling and counseling in connection with cyber attacks, “says Annette Tjaberg, Managing Director of NSM.

Key tasks are to identify, develop and coordinate effective measures tailored to different security needs. The Center will also be better at detecting and managing events and will be responsible for coordinating and handling at national cross-sectoral events

The main deliveries will be aimed at the Armed Forces’ needs, but at the same time they are designed to be reusable in the civil sector, writes newspaper.

The new center is part of the security authority.

Establishment of the center will take place without additional funds. However, NSM has been awarded NOK 497 million from the Ministry of Defense to modernize and implement a significant expansion of the Digital Infrastructure Alert System in the coming years.

Monday 13 august 2018

The roll out of 5G could be hacked by “terrorists and hostile states”, the head of GCHQ has warned. Allowing other forms of new technology, such as artificial intelligence and “the internet of things”, to go ahead unchecked will leave Britain vulnerable to cyber-attacks, Jeremy Fleming said.

He added that China’s lead in 5G technology could pose a security risk to the UK’s vital infrastructure.

Writing in The Sundy Times, Mr Fleming said: “We have entered a new technological age, one that will fundamentally change the way we live, work and interact with each other.

“This new digital landscape will transform lives and economies as data analysis, artificial intelligence, 5G, the internet of things, quantum computing and many other technologies still being developed permeate all areas of human endeavour.”

He said these changes will bring huge benefits to society, including the transformation of healthcare and the creation of energy efficient cities.

“But they also bring risks that, if unchecked, could make us more vulnerable to terrorists, hostile states and serious criminals,” he said.

5G is expected to be a faster and more responsive network, with much greater capacity to meet rocketing demand for mobile video.

Mr Fleming said it is “increasingly likely” that critical technology, such as 5G, will come from China. “We must ensure that processes represent industry best practice so as to avoid real risk to the UK’s CNI [critical national infrastructure],” he said.

“We need to consider early, robust and fair solutions to the global challenge of balancing investment, trade and security.”

His warning comes as mobile operators gear up for 5G battle, as the race to build the new networks gets underway.

EE is planning Britain’s first commercial trial, while its rival Three has said it will use the technology as an opportunity to be more aggressive on pricing.

Mandag 13 august

Adam Conrad has announced the release of new and updated installation media for the Ubuntu distribution and its community editions. The new media carries the version number 18.04.1 and includes security fixes and improvements available to the latest LTS release since 18.04.1 was launched in April 2018. “The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce the release of Ubuntu 18.04.1 LTS (Long-Term Support) for its Desktop, Server, and Cloud products, as well as other flavours of Ubuntu with long-term support. As usual, this point release includes many updates, and updated installation media has been provided so that fewer updates will need to be downloaded after installation. These include security updates and corrections for other high-impact bugs, with a focus on maintaining stability and compatibility with Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.”

Saturday, 11 August 2018

There has been a common denominator for the social media platforms on Wall Street, and there is a surge in user growth, says analyst at ABG Sundal Collier, Aksel Ø. Engebakken.

Engebakken predicted earlier this year that you could see user flights from social media already in the second quarter.

This occurred following the stockfall Facebook experienced in March in connection with the Cambridge Analytica case and the fear of regulation of the platforms.

The analyst was correct, because Facebook has reported stagnation and lower growth in the next few months. Twitter and Snap report a decline in the number of users.

Engebakken does not believe that lower confidence in social media can explain the situation.

I think the reason is composed. The companies all have their own reasons, so I think it’s too easy to say that the Cambridge Analytica case is the cause, there are many reasons, he says.

Engebakken follows mainly 14 technology companies on Oslo Børs, but also has an eye on what is happening in the United States.

Social media top level

Engebakken emphasizes that no companies can attract users forever.

“You must remember that these platforms have up to billions of users, so one theory is that you have reached the number of users you can attract,” he says, adding:

“I’m inclined to believe this theory.

– Are there any other companies that can benefit from the user experience of classic social media?

“I think other social platform companies who manage to keep more users’ attention can benefit from Twitter, Facebook and Snap now experiencing. Here is the company behind Tinder, Match Group, a possible example, which delivered strong growth in the second quarter, and saw the stock rise 20 percent.

Analysts in Heritage Capital, Paul Schatz, warned their investors in a note Thursday.

He writes that it is possible that the Facebook stock has seen its highest level for several years, according to Marketwatch.

He says the case that came after the last quarterly report shows that the damage from the privacy concerns will continue.

“A worst-case outcome is that the market is in an early phase of reassessing the company’s value, and that the stock can fall down to $ 149 the next year, following this latest recovery,” explains Schatz.

Buying in Facebook

Odin’s US fund bought up in Facebook in April, and the stock accounts for around three percent of the fund, which has a total assets of 1.3 billion.

Not surprisingly, Facebook was one of the weakest stocks in the portfolio in July.

“When we bought the stock in April, we did not expect the Cambridge Analytica case to affect users, and we do not think what we saw in the second quarter is due to this,” said Portfolio Manager at Odin’s United States Fund Harald Nissen, who in this way agrees ABG analyst Engebakken.

– So you looked at the last case as a buying opportunity?

“Yes, we have bought us a little lately, and the stock now accounts for just over three percent of the fund,” says Nissen.

He says Instagram, which is still growing strongly, was a reassuring factor in the quarterly report.

“Had not Facebook owned Instagram, I think people had been concerned about the competition,” he said.

Nissen says the fund expects to see results of Facebook’s commitment to “stories” in new user growth in three to four months.

Saturday, 11 August 2018

Today, NASA sends a spacecraft to the sun in a space mission that has never been attempted.

Saturday morning Eastern Time, just after 09.30 Norwegian time, NASA plans to send up the Parker Solar Probe. It will come closer to the sun than any other spacecraft earlier.

According to AP, the probe has a lightweight heat shield that is only 11 centimeters thick. It can withstand temperatures up to 1370 degrees Celsius in addition to extreme radiation. It is 2.4 meters wide and should face the sun when the probe is sealed on the star to shield the instruments on the back and hold them at 27 degrees Celcius.

The spacecraft will follow a path past Venus and will fly past the hottest planet in our solar system seven times in seven years. It is going to use Venus gravity to shrink its own oval orbit and draw closer to the sun.

The first pass of Venus will take place in October, followed by the first meeting with the Sun’s Korona in November. The nearest Parker will be the sun shall be six million miles away – in 2024 and 2025. It is four percent of the distance between the Earth and the sun of 150 million kilometers.

According to AP, Parker hits the first record as soon as it rounds the sun for the first time. NASA Helios is the vessel that has come closest to the sun before. It reached 43 million kilometers away, in 1976. Parker is also expected to set speed record as it shoots through the corona in 692,000 kilometers an hour.

The yellow dwarf star The sun is still a mystery in many ways. The corona is hundred times warmer than the actual surface of the sun, and confuses the researchers. They also do not know what drives the solar winds. Parker can find the solution to any of these riddles.

According to National Geographic, the sun is almost five billion years old. The shootout has been delayed a couple of times, but now it is scheduled for 03.33 ET Saturday morning.

Wednesday 8 2018

Today, the new Android update has been made available, but only for some phones.

The new major update Android 9 has been named Android 9 Pie.

The update was announced this spring, at the Google I / O 2018 Developer Conference, and already we got a taste of what new features we could expect.

The Android 9 Pie, as revealed in ours, includes a “Digital Wellbeing” dashboard, which will make us use the phone less.

It also has a new navigation system that uses AR, or Augmentet Reality, and other user interface improvements based on AI, Artificial Intelligence.

Not everything is coming now

The official release will only happen this autumn, Google writes in a blog post. And until then, today’s release will not contain all the features Google announced on Google I / O.

This applies, for example, to the Digital Wellbeing dashboard. Users will still be able to download these in a beta version until the official release of the fall.

Also, the Slice feature, which should be a pun on Pie, will come first this autumn. This allows you to view real-time information from an app inside another app, so you do not have to go back and forth between apps.

Only for selected phones

If you have one of Google’s Pixel phones, you can download the update already now. According to Google, the update will be imminent for phones that participated in Google’s Android 9 Beta program, writes the company in the blog post.

– Devices participating in Sony Mobile, Xiaomi, HMD Global, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus and Essential beta apps, as well as all eligible Android One devices will receive this update by the end of the fall!

As for other Androids, the company writes that they are working on the matter.

– We’re also working with a host of other partners to launch or upgrade devices for Android 9 this year.

So then it remains to be seen when Samsung, the biggest Android manufacturer, comes on the track. Experienced, it takes a while, so it may soon be 2019 before Samsung users will benefit from the new update.